San Rafael’s Telltale Games lays off 90 workers

San Rafael-based video game developer and publisher Telltale Games this week announced layoffs of 90 workers — about a quarter of its almost 400-person workforce.

The move is part of a comprehensive restructuring of the company and designed to make it more competitive, the company said in a press release Tuesday.

“Our industry has shifted in tremendous ways over the past few years,” Telltale Games CEO Pete Hawley said in a statement. “The realities of the environment we face moving forward demand we evolve, as well, reorienting our organization with a focus on delivering fewer, better games with a smaller team.”

In September, Hawley, former senior vice president and general manager of games at San Francisco-based Zynga.com, replaced former CEO Dan Connors. Connors, according to a written statement released Sept. 14 by the company, would be “stepping back to an advisory role.”

Connors, along with fellow former LucasArts employees Kevin Bruner and Troy Molander, were the original founders of Telltale in 2004.

“We created Telltale because we saw a huge opportunity in bringing together world class storytelling and video games,” Connors said in the Sept. 14 statement. “It has succeeded beyond our expectations, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“I am truly excited to add Pete’s leadership and experience with innovation as we take the next step in the evolution of our products,” he added.